Three fires combine into giant Colorado blaze

High winds and hot temperatures are stoking flames in southwestern Colorado where a colossal fire is burning out of control. Officials say a spruce bark beetle infestation is partly to blame. NBC’s Gabe Gutierrez reports.

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>>>a firestorm in southwest
colorado
. almost 1,000 people trying to contain a series of wildfires that have combined into the largest single fire in the country. it's in south farc,
colorado
. the place featured in this striking photo from last week. gabe gutierrez is on the front lines for us tonight.

>> reporter: today in
southwestern colorado
. hot temperatures and
high winds
fanned a growing colossal fire burning out of control. first look behind the fire line. known as the
west fork
complex, a combination of three fires, the blaze spread to about 76,000 acres, under an am house in supermoon, the flames doubled in size. threatening popular summer destinations.

>>never seen anything like this. it's scary and very concerned for what it's going to do to the land.

>>come on, girl.

>> reporter: kim and ken have lived in
south fork
for seven years, they evacuated last week.

>>the
high winds
, the beetle kill, the drought, all have the potential for a serious event and that's what we've got.

>> reporter: officials are partly blaming an infestation of the spruce
bark beetle
for this year's fire explosion in
colorado
.

>>75% of spruce have been infested. almost all of those are dead. down to 5 inches in diameter.

>> reporter: the spruce beetle devastated almost a million acres since the year
2000
, killing trees and limbs, making easier for them to ignite.

>>things continuing to dry out and red-flag type situations,
high winds
, low humidity, and it just takes off.

>> reporter: the cost of fighting this fire has surpassed $2 million, and now the military is joining the fight. but so far,
south fork
has been spared. no injuries.

>>while there's a lot of encouraging news, there is still a significant amount of risk.

>> reporter: this family worries they will lose not only their home, but their forest.

>>it's just not going to be anything for a while, you know.

>> reporter: a state that has seen big fires before, this one is being called unprecedented. unprecedented because of how fast it has grown. firefighters can't catch a break. temperatures expected to rise.